The present disclosure relates to an apparatus that covers portions of a vehicle, and in particular, the present disclosure relates to an all season cover suitable for adjustably covering vehicle portions in order to protect the vehicle portions from various environmental effects.
Vehicles, when positioned unprotected and outside, experience environmental effects applied to the exterior and the interior of the vehicle. These vehicles, during cold and stormy weather, particularly when parked for extended periods, accumulate snow and ice when the weather produces snow, rain or sleet during freezing temperatures. Such accumulations impair the visibility of the driver resulting in unsafe driving conditions. Furthermore, sunlight damages upholstery, dashboards and steering wheels, causing these components to fade, dry out or crack while building up heat within the interior of the vehicle.
Removing ice and similar accumulations from the vehicles is often very difficult to achieve within a reasonable time. Accordingly, it is desirable to prevent the occurrence of such accumulations in the first place. Additionally, maintaining the interior of the vehicle free from exposure of ultra violet light is desirable to prevent damaging conditions to the upholstery and components of the vehicle and to prevent uncomfortable conditions when the occupant enters the vehicle. Other environmental hazards that are desirable to avoid include dust, dirt and debris accumulating on vehicle windows, wiper blades, door handles and keyholes.
Vehicle covers have been developed to protect vehicles from environmental conditions. Current covers are either too complicated or expensive and in most instances have been too difficult and time consuming to install to permit their wide-spread adoption and use. Some covers are full body covers, that is, covers which envelope or cover an entire vehicle body. A full body cover can be awkward and unwieldy to install. Additionally, positioning and maintaining a full body cover on the vehicle can be difficult during inclement weather. In particular, a full body cover must generally be exactly shaped to conform to the vehicle body in order to avoid unsightly bulges and to keep from being blown off the vehicle by wind. Some covers use a crimped ring to hold the full body cover to the car but this ring loses its retraction force over time, resulting in the cover lifting away from the vehicle to expose the vehicle. Some covers use hooks; but these hooks are not adjustable to adequately connect with different vehicle frames. Other covers are designed specifically to cover only the window shield or cab area of the vehicle. Cab covers typically comprise a semi-rigid or rigid frame that increases the set up/removal time and effort of applying the cab cover. Furthermore, existing covers are not adjustable with respect to tension of the cover when the cover is placed on the vehicle.